High-pressure ion source combined with an in-axis ion trap mass spectrometer. 2. Application of selective low-pressure negative ion chemical ionization

Negative ion chemical ionization was carried out using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer with selected reactant negative ions, primarily injected from a homemade dual EI/CI external ion source. Hence, selective ion/molecule reactions were provided according to the reaction time, which induce a greater control over bimolecular ionization mechanisms than in conventional a high-pressure ion source combined with beam instruments, where several competitive ionization processes take place mainly due to source conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, and repeller). By selecting the reactant ions, ion/molecule reactions were specifically produced (i.e., charge exchange, proton transfer, nucleophilic substitution, and/or alpha-beta elimination) with several organic target compounds. Gas-phase reactivity of phosphorus- and nitrogen-containing compounds (such as phosphonates as representative for chemical warfare agents and phosphorothionates, phosphorodithionates, and triazines for pesticides) as well as dinitro aromatic compounds (for pesticides) has been explored, in the present work, to ensure further unambiguous detection.